Cigarette pocket for shirts



- June 17, 1930. J. w. CHAMPION 1,763,688

CIGARETTE POCKET FOR SHIRTS Filed Aug. 16, 1929 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 June 17, 1930. CHAMPION 1,763,688

CIGARETTE POCKET FOR SHIRTS Filed Aug. 16, 1929 I 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 June 17, 1930. w. CHAMPION 1,763,688

CIGARETTE POCKET FOR SHIRTS Filed Aug. 16. 1929 3'SheetsSheet 3 Patented June 17, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE JOHLT W. CHAMPION, F EiIANSTON, ILLINOIS, ASSIG-NOR TO RELIANCE MANUFAG- TUBING CQMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS CIGARETTE POCKET FOR SHIRTS Application filed August 16,1329. Serial No. 386,364.

My invention relates to a pocket forwork shirts and the like, which is peculiarly adapted for containing a standard package of cigarettes.

Pockets of the design usually employed for work shirts are Objectionable for use as cigarette pockets because perspiration from the body of the worker will penetrate the single thickness of fabric and saturate the cigarette container, causing itto'come apart and allowing the cigarettes to becomecrumpled, and often," also, penetrating to the cigarettes themselves.

My invention overcomes this objection by providing not only an additional ply of fabric rearwardly of 'the contents of the pocket, but also providing an air space for ventilation between the rear Wall of the pocket and the body of the shirt.

Another feature of my invention is that thebottom'of the cigarette pocket is free,

whereby it can belifted vertically to facili-' tate the removal of cigarettes to push the package upwardly to a position where its upper edge comes near or even beyond the top of the pocket.

*Another object is to provide a flap for the pocket, so designed and positioned as to form a canopy forthe contents of the pocket and adapted to permit the removal of a cigarette vertically from the pocket Without the necessity of unbottoning the flap from the front wall of the pocket. 7

A still further object is the provision of a pocket which is simple of design and econOmical to manufacture.

Other objects, features and advantages will become apparent from the following descriptions and from the accompanying drawings, wherein: V

Fig. 1 is a front view of a shirt embody= ing my Pocket; v i Fig. 2 is a plan "section taken on the line 2-2 bf'Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a vertical section takenlon' the line 33 of Fig. 1;

Figs. 4 and 5 areperspective views showing' the detailed construction of the member forming the body of the pocket. Fig. 6. is a perspective view showing the a the flap.

manipulation of the pocket ,to press the cigarette package upwardly to facilitate the removal ofa cigarette without unbottoning Figs; 7, 8, 9 and 10 are detailed plans showing the construction 'of the element forming the flap.

For the'sake of clarityof the drawings, I have not sectioned the layers of fabric in the cross-sectional'views of Figs. 2 and 3.-

The construction of my pocket will be best understood by following in the description the successive steps substantiallyas employed in the process of manufacture.

The upper margin 16 of a rectangular layer of fabric or pocket element 15 is folded rearwardly and the lower margin 17 is folded forwardly. The element 15 is then folded by raising the lower folded edge to an elevation somewhat below the upper folded edge, thereby forming the front and rear walls'2l and 19 of the pocket (Fig. (i).

The lateral margins of the pocket element are next folded rearwardly by doubling" the front and rear walls as a unit, the margin 22 of the front wall passing aroundand behind the margin 23 of the rear wall (Fig.5).

Being thus folded, the upper edge of the rearward portion or wall 19 is sewn to the body 31 of the shirtat 32 (Figs. 1 and The lateral edges of both portions-are then stitched as a unit to the body of the shirt over (Fig. 9). Whenthe flap element is,

then folded diagonally along a line betweenv corners 26, the edges 28 lie betweenthe plys to make smoothexposed edges. These edges are then sewn together (Fig. 10), thereby:

forming a. substantially triangular flap.

The upper edge of the flap is slightly narrower than the pocket when laid out flat but of such width to well cover the pocket in the form of a canopy when the pocket contains a package of cigarettes.

The flap 25 is stitched along the diagonal fold at 29 to the body 31 of the shirt a short distance above the stitching 32 through the upper edge of the rear wall of the pocket element (Fig. A button-hole 34 is carried in the flap and a cooperating button 38 on the'front wall of the pocket just below its upper edge tend to cause the upper margin of the front wall to overhang and partially lock in place a cigarette package 36 which may be contained therein. Be cause of its tapered sides, the flap does not prevent sufiicient circulation of air across the top of the pocket to ventilate it.

Reinforcing stitching 38 may be used at the attached corners of the pocket to prevent breaking of the stitching.

My pocket permits a ready access to a cigarette for removal vertically from the pocket without unbottoning the flap, by pushing aside slightly the edge of the flap to uncover a top corner of the package and pressing upwardly on the bottom of the pocket (which is unattached and adapted to be pushed upwardly a relatively great distance) to bring the top of the package up to or beyond the top edge of the pocket.

It will be noted that the ventilating space between the rear wall of the pocket and the body of the shirt extends upwardly to a height above the cigarette package and in fact above the front wall of the pocket. This further checks the danger of moisture finding its way to the upper corners of the package. This relative height of the ventilated region is made possible by using a higher back wall than front wall for the pocket and by placing the stitching of the back wall to the body of theshirt at a level somewhat above the height of the front wall or of the cigarette package. In practice of course the back wall of the pocket does not always stand away from the body of the shirt as uniformly as indicated in the drawings. But movement of the wearers arms and body in working causes continual movement of the pocket walls and of the adjacent body portion of the shirt with the result that there is a kind of continuous bellows action serving to draw air into the ventilating area and forcing it out.

By sewing the pocket to the body along the lateral edges of the pocket continuously from top to bottom I practically eliminate all danger of the pocket catching on projecting articles and tearing, as would be the case, for example, if the pocket were attached only at its top edge and lower corners. The securement of the pocket along the lateral edges also greatly facilitates laundering, for when the body of the shirt is ironed flat the pocket must necessarily also lie flat and true. This is an advantage, for it eliminates any bellows or pleats on the pocket which have often been used where pockets take relatively thick articles.

It will be observed that by turning back the double thickness of the front and rear walls of the lateral margin of the pocket before the pocket is sewed down to the body of the shirt, the turned back double thickness tends to a certain extent to space the rear wall from the body, thereby augmenting the ventilating feature.

It will also be noted that the absence of an attachment of the pocket across its bottom leaves it free better to form a horizontal bottom wall when the pocket is in use. Were the bottom edge of the pocket stitched down tight to the body of the shirt, the bottom of the pocket would assume a V- shape upon the insertion of a cigarette package. Thus by leaving the bottom fold of the pocket unattached, I obtain the benefits of a box or pleated bottom for the pocket with the economy of a mere folded edge.

Having described the nature and embodiments of my invention, what I desire to secure by United States Letters Patent is:

1. The combination with a work shirt body of a pocket therefor adapted snugly to receive a standard cigarette package and comprising an exposed front wall and a rear wall for the pocket, closed at their lateral and bottom edges and accessible from the top for the insertion of a cigarette package, said pocket being secured to the body of the shirt along its lateral edges substantially from top to bottom, the rear wall being free from the body intermediate the lateral edges of the pocket and leaving 1' a ventilated space between the rear wall and the body, the bottom of the pocket being free from the body to permit circulation of air to and from the ventilated space.

2. A shirt comprising a body and a pocket therefor, the pocket comprising a single fabric element folded to form upwardly extending front and rear walls with the bottom therebetween, the upper margins of each of said walls being folded rearwardly and downwardly, the lateral margins of said walls being folded rearwardly and inwardly so that the margins of the front wall pass around and behind the margins of the rear wall, the lateral margins being sewn to the body of the shirt throughout their length but the bottom of the pocket being unattached, thereby providing a bottom passage for air to ventilate the space between the rear wall and the shirt body and to permit the vertical movement of the pocket bottom.

A shirt comprising a body and a pocket therefor, the pocket comprising a single fabric element folded to form a bottom with front and rear walls extending upwardly therefrom, the upper margins of said walls being folded rearwardly, the lateral margins of said Walls being folded rearwardly such that the margins of the front wall pass around and behind the margin of the rear wall, the lateral margins being sewn to the body of the shirt throughout their length, the rear wall being longer vertically than the front wall and being attached to the shirt at a point above the upper edge of the front wall.

4:. The combination with a garment having a front body portion of a cigarette pocket thereforcomprising front and rear walls closed at the lateral sides and bottom but having an access opening at the top, the closed lateral edges of the pocket and the top edge of the rear wall being stitched directly to the garment body throughout their lengths, with the pocket being free of the body at the bottom edge to provide a ventilating space substantially co-eXten-- sive with the pocket between its rear wall and the garment body. y

5. In combination with a shirt, a pocket element consisting of a rectanguler piece of fabric folded along a horizontal line to form a bottom, a front wall and a back wall with an open top forming a pocket, the pocket being secured to the shirt body along its lateral edges and unsecured along the bottom to permit air circulation between the rear wall and the shirt body.

6. In combination with a shirt, a pocket element consisting of a rectangular piece of fabric folded along a horizontal line to form a bottom, a front wall and a back wall with an open top forming a pocket, the back wall being secured along three of its edges to the shirt body and the front wall being secured along only its lateral'edges to' permit the bottom of the pocket to be raised for removing cigarettes vertically therefrom and providing an open ended air pocket between the rear walland the shirt body, and a double ply substantially triangular flap secured to the shirt a spaced distance above the upper edge of the rear.

wall and releasably secured to the front wall forming a canopy and providing an air circulation space between the flap and the contents of the pocket;

7 The combination with a' work shirt body of a pocket therefor adapted snugly to receive a standard cigarette package and comprising an exposed front wall and a rear wall for the pocket, closed at their lateral andbottom edges andaccessible from the top for the insertion of a cigarette pack age, said pocket being secured to'the body of the shirt along its lateral edges substantially fronr top to bottom, the rear wall being free from the body intermediate the lateral edges of the pocket and leaving a Ventilated space between the rear wall and the body, the bottom of the pocket being free from the body to permit circulation of air to and from the ventilated space, and a closure flap for the pocket stitched to the body along its upper edge adjacent the upper edge of the pocket, buttoning at its lower edge to the front wall of the pocket, the flap having tapering sides whereby a lateral edge of the flap may be pushed aside for removal of a cigarette from the package without un-buttoning the flap.

In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this 14th day of August, 1929.

J OHN W. CHAMPION. 

